What Purpose November 8?
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Do you ever find yourself reading the Bible more from habit than from hunger? At times does the familiar take on the character of the mundane, and your brain turns itself off at verse five of chapter one? Would you like God's word to come alive for you once again? Would you like it to be consistently exciting and rewarding. These suggestions may help you revitalize your personal Bible study.
1. Pray for His illumination. For most of God's servants, prayer before reading might seem elementary. And so it should, because it is. But I find in my own life that the elementary often becomes rote and near-meaningless. It is for that reason it’s good to remind ourselves of the vital role the Holy Spirit’s illumination is in our study of Scripture. We do not want to gain information. We must have His illumination.
Saint Paul wrote to the Ephesians, "(I pray) that the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to His call, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power for us who believe." (Ephesians 1:18 19).
The Psalmist likewise prayed, "Open my eyes to see clearly the wonders of your teachings" (Psalm 119:18). Learning from Scripture's example, let us pray daily for God to illuminate His word to our hearts. Such prayers are a delight for God to answer (Jeremiah 33:3).
2. Become a scribe. The average adult is able to read approximately 200 words per minute. He can write only 30 words per minute. The difference is the basis for an important point. Hand copying the Bible onto a notebook is, in many ways, like walking along a road instead of driving. We can see much more of the scenery along the roadway as we walk than while we are clipping along at 55 miles per hour. Forcing our minds to slow to what it might consider a snail's pace, we will focus more clearly on God's word letter by letter, comma by comma.
3. Read aloud. How often have you found yourself re-reading the same verse time and again because your mind has wandered? Try reading the Scriptures aloud. Why aloud? Simply put, we speak more slowly than we can read (150 words per minute compared to 200 words per minute). As in the previous suggestion about writing the Word, reading aloud also forces our minds to slow down and focus.
4. Memorize. The Scripture itself encourages us to hide God's word in our heart (Psalm 119:11). Anyone who is able to read the Bible is able to memorize portions of the word. It takes only a few minutes of our time each day. Why not set a goal to memorize one passage of Scripture (five to fifteen verses) each month? Not only does memory work reinforce our reading, but it helps us stay focused on Him.
The psalmist wrote, "How I love your teaching, Lord! I study it all day long. . . how sweet to my tongue is your promise, sweeter than honey to my mouth" (Psalm 119:97, 103).
The study of God's word can be an exciting time of fellowship between us and our Savior. Indeed, there is precious truth in the statement, "learn to savor how good the Lord is" (Psalm 34:9).
Richard Maffeo was born into a Jewish home in the early 1950s. In 1972 he discovered Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, and he dove into his awakened faith with a passion that continues to this present day. He has written three books, writes a blog, and teaches several bible studies each week at 55+ communities. You can find his blog at www.inhimonly.blogspot.com. You can find him on Facebook by searching for his name.
Richard and his wife Nancy are married more than 50 years. They have three grown children.
